


Kamaboko

by PaulaGay



Category: Koi Suru Bou-kun | The Tyrant Falls in Love
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Humor, M/M, Romance, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-24
Updated: 2014-09-06
Packaged: 2017-12-21 04:41:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/895911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaulaGay/pseuds/PaulaGay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Tetsuhiro was ten years old the first time he both heard of the Mer and saw one. What happens when, years later, they meet again? This story is very loosely based on "The Little Mermaid," Hans Christian Anderson's...not Disney's . :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I wish the boys were mine, but they're not! I borrowed the characters from the incomparable Takanaga-sensei.
> 
> Warning: AU Fantasy based very loosely on Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Mermaid."
> 
> Note: This is my first time trying my hand at a fantasy, so bear with me. :D

Green eyes looked out at the vast ocean with excitement. It was the first time in his life that Tetsuhiro had traveled by ship and the ten year old was more than transfixed by it. The way the sailors worked together to keep the ship steered properly and the sheer physicality of it all had him watching raptly. His fascination did not go unnoticed. One of the older deckhands chuckled as he walked over to the boy.

"Where be yer pa, boy?" he asked with a knowing smirk.

"He's down below. I don't think he likes the water," he answered with a small apologetic smile.

The old man laughed at that, "Yeah, figured as much. Not all men c'n handle tha waves. Ye got the makin's of a real seaman, ye do."

Tetsuhiro grinned and sat down next to the man when he gestured for him to join him. The seaman was ancient to the young boy's eyes. He was gnarled and wrinkled by too much time in the sun. His once brown hair was turning gray and when he walked, it was with a limp. He thoroughly captivated the boy's romantic spirit.

As they sat together the man told stories of the sea in between showing Tetsuhiro different knots and explaining their uses on board. The brunette boy asked intelligent questions and listened wholeheartedly to stories of storms weathered and pirates vanquished. Toward the end of their afternoon together, the old man wound up his stories with one he'd been saving for a while.

"Have ye ever heard tell of the Mer?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye. When Tetsuhiro shook his head he continued, "Well boy, they're the rulers of the ocean." He went on to tell wild tales of the Mer's kingdom at the bottom of the deep sea; how they lived in caves and rode seahorses. Tetsuhiro loved the stories but of course didn't actually believe them. They were myths to fill the time and the old man was a wonderful storyteller. He finished with, "An' the Mer always know when we worthless humans encroach on their territory. Whenever a young one, like you is lost at sea a member of their tribe is there to take them down to their kingdom to become one of their number."

That got Tetsuhiro's attention, "You mean they kidnap children?" he asked, nervous in spite of his doubts.

"No laddie, they save 'em. Otherwise they would drown."

* * *

A few days later, Tetsuhiro woke to lowering skies and flashes of lightening. His father told him the Captain wanted all civilians to stay in their cabins until the storm blew over. The boy was disappointed, he hated being cooped up, but he understood that he would only be in the way on deck.

As the morning wore on the sea became a mass of rolling waves, tossing the ship around mercilessly. Tetsuhiro's father collapsed onto his bed with the chamber pot next to him, 'just in case.' The boy understood and wanted to be no where near his retching father. The sounds made him very squeamish.

He played quietly until he realized his father had finally fallen asleep. Seeing this as a good time to sneak out for a while and get some fresh air, the boy quietly worked his way up and forward in order to see what was happening on deck. His eyes widened in shock when he finally saw what was going on.

It looked like the end of the world had arrived; and for them it might actually be the case. The ship was still being tossed around like a toy in some evil giant's hand. The sea was boiling within the storm, with waves that crested even higher than the ship's deck. The deck hands had secured themselves to the ship with rope and worked to keep the vessel upright. It was insane and the boy watched in fascinated horror; mouth hanging open.

He couldn't hear what the men were shouting to each other, the storm was too loud for that; but he could guess by their gestures. There seemed to be something wrong on the starboard side. He leaned out of his hidey-hole and saw smoke. He frowned, not understanding the implications and moved carefully outside to get a better look. Just as he realized what exactly was wrong, he was spotted and the deck hand that had become something of a mentor to him rushed over and yanked him below decks once more.

The man grabbed him by his shoulders and yelled over the sounds of the storm, "Boy, whare's ya Da?"

"In our cabin. He's been sick and is napping."

"Go git 'im. Lightening jest hit the ship and she's goin' down. We need to abandon 'er," he shook Tetsuhiro's shoulders to emphasize the seriousness of what was happening. The boy nodded and took off for their room to wake his father. He made it back in record time and started shaking him awake.

"Papa! Wake up!" he yelled in his father's face. The poor man cracked his eyes open blearily and looked at his son.

"What's happening Tetsu?" he asked in confusion.

"We have to leave! The ship was struck by lightening and is burning. I was told we had to get on deck to board the lifeboats." His father's eyes widened and he quickly stood up, only to stagger a bit as he and his son headed for the door. They managed to make it back up on deck, even with the ship beginning to list as it was tossed pitilessly in the storm.

When one of the deckhands saw them they were ushered to the side and helped down into one of the small lifeboats. It was the two of them and two seamen; one was Tetsuhiro's elderly friend. The ocean was choppy as they moved away from the doomed ship; lightening flashing and rain drilling down onto them. Tetsuhiro had no idea how they'd stay afloat as the small boat kept getting swamped by the waves. Neither did the grown men, although they weren't about to vocalize their fears in front of the boy.

After that everything happened so fast, Tetsuhiro couldn't keep up. Loud thunder boomed and there was a crack of violent lightening; the little boat practically launched itself into the air and the screaming began. Tetsuhiro was suddenly submerged in the water and right before he passed out, he realized that the one screaming had been him.

* * *

Tetsuhiro had no idea how long he'd been unconscious when he finally came to. He was still in the water, draped over a piece of what was left of the lifeboat, and completely alone. He raised his head to look around and all he could see was more water. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them wide as he looked around. He was completely alone and adrift in the ocean with no land in sight. He began to whimper but then he shook his head, 'No! I'm a big boy now...I can't cry. I won't.' Then he continued thinking, 'I hope Papa is alright. I  **have** to get back to him...to home. I  **won't** give up!' His eyes grew determined as he looked around once more and picked a direction to head towards.

He had no clue how long he'd been paddling when he saw birds circling overhead. He remembered reading that a large group of birds flying like that meant that land was nearby so he headed towards them. They were further away than they looked and he became tired long before he got close enough to see what they were agitated about. As he rested across the part of boat he clung to, he watched up ahead. The birds would swoop down and then fly back up above the water. At first he had believed they were catching fish but as he watched he realized they had nothing in their mouths when they flew out away from the water. His curiosity spiked, he found the energy to begin paddling towards his goal again.

As he slowly drew closer Tetsuhiro began to scan the water and he saw what at first looked like...a big fish. 'Those birds have delusions of grandeur if they think they'll catch that!' he thought to himself in somewhat delirious amusement. He wondered if he was hallucinating at first. He drew even closer and he cleared his sight enough from the water spray to see...hair. The 'fish' seemed to have hair; blonde hair, no less. The 'fish' was wildly waving its arms at the birds and leaping around in the water as if to scare them off. By that point Tetsuhiro knew he was seeing things but it was amusing and he had nothing better to do, so he continued to approach the vision in the water.

The vision yelled agitatedly and his voice was that of a male albeit a young one. He spoke in a language Tetsuhiro couldn't understand; although he could tell that the boy was angry at the birds. As Tetsuhiro approached the other male suddenly tuned around with an extreme look of stunned disbelief. He asked the brunette boy a question.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand you," Tetsuhiro responded pleasantly as he gazed at his supposed delusion. The other boy tilted his head and looked supremely irritated at Tetsuhiro, then he looked around trying to decide where the brunette had come from.

"The ship I was on sank in the storm yesterday...at least I think it was yesterday," he continued conversationally. "I don't have any idea where I am and I should really find land now. You wouldn't by any chance be able to point me in the right direction, would you?"

The blonde's look softened as he realized that the other boy was on his last leg; completely exhausted. He swam over and touched Tetsuhiro's sleeve. "This is the realist hallucination ever," the spent boy said as he began to slide off his bit of wood and into the water. As he passed out he felt strong arms wrap around him and heard that mysterious dialect murmur in his ear. The voice was still a bit irritated but also soothing and reassuring; and somehow he knew he'd be alright.

* * *

When Tetsuhiro woke again, he was lying face down in wet sand with water lapping around his legs. He dragged himself into a sitting position and looked around. A little way away in the slightly deeper water sat his savior. When the brunette finally got a good look at him he really couldn't believe his eyes. The blonde was...beautiful. He had long blonde hair and a finely boned face with high cheekbones and amber eyes that reflected the sun and looked glowing in its setting rays. Tetsuhiro stood up and moved toward the other boy.

"Did you save me?" he asked. The other one just shrugged and then slowly nodded. "Thank you so much!" Tetsuhiro smiled. "I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am!"

The blonde blushed slightly and nodded again, quickly looking away.

"Um, where am I?" Tetsuhiro asked while looking around. "Can you tell me?"

The other boy looked a bit discombobulated by the question but before he could answer he heard voices and knew the brunette was about to be found. He also knew he couldn't let himself be seen by the humans so he shook his head and turned to swim back out to sea. He had to hurry or his family would worry. It wouldn't do to be late for dinner. He quickly swam out a ways and turned back once to wave at the brunette boy he had helped. Said boy had a look of shock on his face as he slowly raised his hand to wave back.

'I can't believe it,' Tetsuhiro thought to himself as the Mer disappeared and the villagers approached him. 'They really do exist.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go with Chapter 1! It's just a short one to set the scene for what's going to happen later.:) I also have to say the title was difficult to come up with and my rather bad sense of humor took over. I do like a good pun! Til next time!


	2. Chapter 2

 

**Twelve years later**

The city was bustling as Tetsuhiro gazed out the window in the direction of the wharf. Since the disastrous trip that had claimed his father's life when he was ten, he had been drawn to the sea; as a moth to a flame. He had a healthy respect for the ocean and knew better than to underestimate it. He also had a secret. Well, it was sort of a secret.

When he was rescued he was babbling about meeting a Mer. He had been in the water for four days and was both malnourished and dehydrated so no one thought twice about his delusion. They all felt that if that was what had helped him survive then so be it. He finally quieted down about it and began to actually believe that he'd hallucinated the whole thing. That was until a little over a year ago.

Last year he'd been on a fishing trip off the coast of Japan, where he and his family were living, and he'd made a discovery. It had led to the re-emergence of his belief that the Mer actually existed. They didn't call themselves that...that was the human name for their race. He began a thorough study (in secret, of course) of all the myths he could find on the ocean dwelling beings. In this he had a partner in crime. The man was brilliant and over the past year he had made himself more than useful as an assistant in both Tetsuhiro's business as well as his hobby.

He thought back to his first ocean voyage. He and his father were headed to Japan to join the rest of his family. They were relocating back to his parent's home country and he'd been excited to see it. He and his brother, Kunihiro, had both been born and raised in a small coastal village near Marseille and spoke both French and Japanese fluently. They had never been to their country of origin and saw the whole experience as an adventure. Since Kunihiro was the older of the two, he accompanied their mother in order to help her set up their new home; while Tetsuhiro and their father were to follow once the elder Morinaga had wound up the last of his business.

That trip had been a disaster; the storm blowing up out of nowhere. His father hadn't made it, his body never recovered; and Tetsuhiro had only barely survived. The boy's mother decided they would stay in their new home and five years later, she'd remarried. Once Kunihiro reached his majority, he decided to travel to America with his closest friend, Masaki. From the letters Tetsuhiro received regularly, they were having a marvelous time while expanding the family import business. That had left him holding the fort in Japan. He didn't mind, it's where he felt the most comfortable.

The only downside to staying so near his mother was her incessant nagging that he settle down and start a family. He wasn't exactly sure  **why** , but he knew deep down that having a wife and children wasn't in the cards for him. Two years ago it had finally gotten so difficult – his mother had actually begun setting up marriage meetings for him – that he'd gone to his stepfather in desperation and asked for his help.

The man had listened and agreed to talk to his wife. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew what the problem was and decided to help the boy out. He was a good and wise man and knew that some things couldn't be forced. He was also the one who had suggested that Kunihiro and Masaki emigrate to America and that had been a sound decision. Now it was the younger man's turn to find his way as well as find the partner that he could share his life with. Since then things had become much easier for the youngest Morinaga.

He was startled out of his reverie by a knock on the door. Finally! His assistant had arrived. He turned and smiled warmly as the door opened, "I'm glad you could finally make it, Kurokawa-san."

* * *

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Isogai sighed as he heard the newest storm fast approaching in the form of the crown prince.

'Although I can't understand what the elders were thinking when they elected Sou-kun's father as the next King,' he sighed to himself. The Tatsumis weren't exactly  **leadership**  material. They had been great adviser's to the King, before the big idiot had gone and gotten himself killed; but leaders they weren't!

Isogai turned as Souichi swirled into his study. "Oi! Have you seen my younger brother?" he fumed at the older blonde.

The King's Chronicler laughed, "Did you know,  **Your Highness** , that for a Ningyo, you make as much noise as a human?"

Souichi snarled, "Cut the crap Isogai! If you know where Tomoe has gotten off to, tell me!"

The scholar looked at Souichi carefully. As much of a pain in the fin as the blonde could be (and as much fun as he was to rile), he had a genuine love for his family and Isogai could tell he was worried. He sighed and answered him seriously, "He came to me last week with an idea to go find the true King and bring him back. I tried to discourage him from going, but you know what he's like."

Souichi glared at no one in particular, "I knew he was up to something! When he stopped talking about that loser Kurokawa, and seemed to get his focus back, I had hoped he was over the idiot. I should have known better!" he finished while scrubbing his hands through his hair. He met Isogai's eyes, "Which way did he go?"

Isogai turned away...he was really not looking forward to this conversation. He asked, "How do you know he's gone missing anyway? I thought he was taking a trip to the Reef to gather supplies for another experiment?"

Souichi gritted out through clenched teeth, "We just received a message that he never arrived. What do you know?"

The older male nodded, "He was swimming off the shore of that small town above the sea and thought he saw Mitsugu. He said he appeared to be human now. He asked me if it was possible. I didn't know and said so, so he asked me who might and I told him the sea witch would have that knowledge." He looked into stormy amber eyes and continued, "I thought for certain he'd give up. You know how much she frightens him!"

Souichi thought very seriously about knocking the shit out of the man before him but he could understand where he was coming from. Tomoe was a very timid and gentle creature. Under normal circumstances he would never go within a hundred miles of the old hag. She terrified him. 'Of course these circumstances aren't normal,' he thought as Isogai echoed his statement aloud.

"I guess I should have known he'd pursue it," he sighed while shaking his head.

"I'm going to visit that old hag and find out the truth!" Souichi reached for the door but Isogai stopped him.

"Not without me you aren't!"

* * *

"I'm so sorry I'm late, Morinaga-kun. I had an emergency pop up," Mitsugu Kurokawa hurriedly stated as he quickly entered the room. He began to pace. "Do you have some time to spare to come to the workroom?" he asked as he stopped in front of his friend and employer.

Tetsuhiro moved forward quickly, "What happened?"

"I'll tell you on the way."

The two men mounted their saddled horses and took off for the warehouses near the wharf. Tetsuhiro's company owned several buildings down there and they were headed for the smallest. It was a building Morinaga had converted shortly after meeting Kurokawa. It had been redesigned in order to house their 'special' projects.

"I found a friend of mine near the water's edge last night. He wasn't in good shape so I brought him to the workroom," Kurokawa continued. "I wasn't sure what else to do...I'm sorry." The last was said so softly that the brunette almost didn't catch it.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, my friend. Let's hurry."

It didn't take long for the two men to arrive and enter the small building. The main room had been remodeled to accommodate a large pool in the center. The floor had been cut out and reinforced so the sea water was accessible from the inside. There were no windows in this part of the building so no one could see in. On one side of the room was a seating area with both comfortable chairs and a desk set up. There were several gas lanterns as well as candles dotted around for light. On the other side was a sleeping area. This was where they headed. The bed was occupied by a very young looking man. He had a soft, almost feminine face...probably due to his youth, and chestnut hair.

Tetsuhiro noticed the look of devotion on the older man's face. "Who is he to you?" he asked softly and simply, looking at his friend with curiosity.

"He's my fiancee," was his answer.

"Wha-" Tetsuhiro stuttered with his eyes widening.

"Where I come from it is acceptable," Kurokawa continued. "We were to be married in another year when he's twenty. He must have been desperate to try this." He looked down at the younger man with an expression of concerned affection on his face.

"Is it alright for him to be out of the water?" the younger man asked. Mitsugu just pulled the blanket back showing the boy's pajama-clad lower body. "So he has...legs," it came out as almost a question.

"I don't know how he did it, but yes."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see what kind of condition he's in when he awakens," Tetsuhiro patted his assistant on the shoulder in a comforting way.

* * *

"Damn it! I don't know who I'm gonna kill first; that hag or Tomoe!" Souichi said for the fifth time as the two males swam towards the sea witch's cave.

"Hopefully neither one," Isogai said dryly. "We need to find out what happened first, Sou-kun; you know that." The irate blonde just waved him off as he continued, "Once we know, then we'll decide what to do."

"I wonder if she had anything to do with Kurokawa's disappearance," Souichi continued quietly after thinking over what the older male had said.

Isogai frowned as he thought it over. "I doubt it. Mitsugu was checking out a fishing vessel when he disappeared. He was nowhere near her lair."

"Leave it to that idiot to get caught!" Souichi huffed out, irritated all over again.

"Hm," the other male had to agree. Kurokawa was a friend...a good one, but he was a bit of an idiot sometimes. He could be too naïve for words.

The two swam in a rather companionable silence, both lost in their own thoughts until their surroundings began to register in their minds. They had been traveling due North from the palace and the lushly beautiful scenery had gradually diminished and given way to darkness. Normally even the darkness that surrounded the sea witch's cavern held a certain beauty; but not today.

Today the area was inundated with an eerie inky darkness that gradually surrounded the two males. They stared into the blackness swirling in front of them and then caught each other's eyes briefly before once again heading forward; this time even more cautiously. No words were necessary, they understood their danger, but they had to know what had occurred...and neither male was a coward.

As they approached the mouth of the cave they saw...parts. Body parts. It looked like a massive battle had occurred and the witch had lost.

"What the fuck?" was all Souichi could say. Isogai darted in front of his charge in order to offer some protection to the younger man. Said younger man wasn't too impressed by the performance and moved away from the older blonde.

A flicker caught Isogai's eye and he moved forward to investigate as Souichi examined what was left of the witch. It wasn't pleasant but he needed to know what had decimated the creature.

By the time Souichi was finished, Isogai was gathering supplies. "It looks like a shark attack...what  **DO** you  **think**  you're doing!?" he finished at a near shriek as he caught sight of the other male.

"What? She doesn't need it anymore," he said with a slight whine. "Besides," he continued in a normal voice, "this might help us determine what happened to Tomoe." Souichi continued to glare as he mulled over what the other had said. He could see the logic.

"Fine," he acquiesced reluctantly as he began to help with the gathering.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now the stage is set for the boys to finally meet up again. ^^


	3. Chapter 3

"Damn it!" Souichi hissed as he tried to throw a large triton shell against the wall in his study. Of course it didn't go very far and ended up landing softly on the floor. The one thing Souichi couldn't stand about living underwater was that there was no way to have a physical temper tantrum. He could yell and swim off if angry but he couldn't successfully physically vent his frustration. He huffed and settled at his desk. 'Tomoe what were you thinking!? You had to know that running after that idiot you think you love was a futile effort,' he thought to himself. 'I never thought much of your choice of mate but he's so much better than any  **human**. And that guy you saw  **was**  human, not one of us...even if he looked like Kurokawa.' He began to swim back and forth across the length of his study in agitation. He needed to bring his little brother home. He couldn't lose another family member to the humans.

An hour or so later, Isogai found the prince still fuming in his office. As he peeked inside he wracked his brain in order to find the right way to explain to Souichi what had happened. He guessed that it wasn't going to be easy. He sighed and then donned a mischievous expression before he knocked on the door.

"Your Highness, I have news," he chirped as he swam in and got ready to duck or dodge. Fortunately he didn't need to do either as Souichi only glared and gestured for him to continue. "I found the sea witch's notes and Tomo-chan did go to speak to her. She offered to turn him human in order for him to speak to Kurokawa and try to bring him back." He paused when he heard Souichi growl. Isogai knew he wouldn't like this.

"What was that little idiot thinking!?" the blonde prince stormed, swimming agitatedly before finally settling in a defeated manner at his desk. "Why?" Isogai hadn't heard that tone of voice before. He'd never heard Souichi sound so...broken.

"Now Sou-kun don't freak out too much," he hurriedly interjected. "Hope isn't all lost. When Kurokawa decides to come back the spell is broken and Tomo-chan will return to normal! That was the deal."

Souichi looked at him with half dead eyes, "How will that happen? Kurokawa is dead! The human fishing boat killed him and probably ate him. Just because there's a human that looks a bit like him means nothing!"

"What if you're wrong? What if he is alive and unable to return? Maybe Tomoe knew what he was doing."

"You're talking about  **Tomoe**  here! He's a smart kid but innocent, naïve. He'd believe just about anything!" Souichi was back to glaring again.

Isogai smiled reminiscently to himself, "Well, you're not wrong there. He can be incredibly cute." He got serious once more before continuing, "There's something else the sea witch made him agree to in order for the spell to work. He had to give her something important. His best quality or asset. She asked for his mind...well his memories."

Souichi stared blankly at the other blonde for a moment and then took a deep breath, "You mean to tell me that Tomoe went up to the surface to find the love of his life, the spell took effect, and he lost all his memories of said love?" he asked very quietly.

"Pretty much," Isogai nodded; he knew the prince would hate this.

* * *

Tomoe had slept for over twenty-four hours, Kurokawa at his side the entire time. When he awoke he found himself on a small bed in a very strange place. It was a large building, all one very large room. There was the sleeping area he was in, then a large cut-out pool in the floor that allowed those inside access to the sea water. On the other side of the large room was a study area with desks and lights. It was all very odd to the young man. There was a man sitting at one of the desks, reading what looked like a...book? Tomoe thought that's what they were called. He was wearing...Tomoe wasn't sure but it didn't look right. He should have been able to see the man's chest. There seemed to be something very familiar about the man but he couldn't put his finger on what it was.

The older brunette looked up and smiled in relief when he saw Tomoe awake, "It's about time you woke up, Tomo-chan!" He hurried over to the young man, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine?" the boy said as a question. He wasn't sure about anything at the moment. Nothing was familiar except the man and something wasn't quite right about him. The thought didn't hang around long enough for him to figure out. He shifted around on the bed and groaned. He hurt. From the waist down it felt like his body was on fire.

The older man looked puzzled and then his face cleared as he understood, "Here let me help you, Tomoe." He bent down and gently lifted the younger man out of his nest of covers to bring him over to the pool. He walked straight into the water and set Tomoe onto a bench that had been built in for this purpose. The relief was almost instantaneous. Tomoe sighed in relief. It felt heavenly.

He looked over at the older brunette. "Where am I?" he asked.

"This place is owned by my benefactor. His name is Tetsuhiro Morinaga and he's a very kind man. He took me in and protected me when I had no where else to go. I owe him my life," he ended very simply and smiled at his fiancee. "How did you get here and when did you acquire legs?" he finally asked.

Tomoe looked very confused, "I'm not sure what you mean. Legs? Haven't I always had them? You seem to know me, but I don't know who you are. You called me Tomoe...is that my name?" The longer he spoke, the more agitated he became, he was almost frantic by the time he finished and Kurokawa's eyes had widened to saucer size.

"Y-you don't know your name?" the other shook his head. "Where you're from?" another head shake. "And you don't know who I...am?" the boy looked sad at how upset the older man was and slowly shook his head 'no.'

* * *

"What was he thinking?" Souichi asked again as the two blondes hurried to the King's chambers. They had to report Isogai's findings to Souichi's father. Soujin needed to be informed. He had to know what his younger son had done and decide what to do about it.

Isogai had an idea to bring resolution to the whole matter. He was convinced that Tomoe was on the right track when it came to Kurokawa. 'He may have gone about it the wrong way but still...' he thought. He'd studied the old hag's notes and understood the spell she'd performed and what it entailed. It wasn't pretty or nice but if the criteria were met, it would be successful; especially now that she could no longer interfere. That meant that Tomoe was, for all intents and purposes a human and he had amnesia. If he knew Tomoe, the boy had set things up for Kurokawa to find him so Isogai was pretty sure the current second in line to the throne was safe. Now all he had to do was convince the other two to agree with his plan.

Once they reached the King's private study they knocked and waited for permission to enter. The King answered their knock and when they opened the door, they were met with a cloud of purple. "Dad, what are you doing now?" Souichi coughed as he tried to get out of the blinding cloud.

"It was just a little experiment, Son; that's all," his father replied with an innocent expression. The other two men sighed and gestured for the older man to join them in a relatively clear part of the room. They briefly explained why Tomoe was absent and what they'd discovered from the sea witch's cave. Soujin was very concerned as he asked, "What do you two propose we do?"

"We need to bring Tomoe back," Souichi began but was interrupted by Isogai.

" **And**  we need to determine if he was correct and Mitsugu is still alive. I have an idea how to accomplish this but I'll need Souichi-sama's agreement," he still wasn't sure how to convince the cranky prince.

"Anything to get Tomoe ba-wha-what do you mean my agreement?" the blonde began to splutter. He knew he wouldn't like this.

"You have a plan Isogai-chan?" the king made it more of a statement than a question. When the older blonde nodded, the king stated, "Do whatever is necessary to bring my son back and if Kurokawa-sama is there, bring him back too. Souichi will do whatever you deem necessary to accomplish this." When Souichi looked like he wanted to argue, his father continued, "Do I make myself clear?" His son reluctantly nodded and the two bowed their way out of the king's study.

Once they made it back to Souichi's chambers the younger blonde asked resignedly, "Ok, fine. What do you want me to do?" Isogai regained his impish look.

"Not much Sou-kun. I just want you to go to the town above the sea, break the spell, and bring them back."

"What!?" the younger blonde stared.

* * *

Souichi was swimming around the nearby reef when his father finally found him. He'd absolutely refused to become one of those humans even if it meant bringing his brother home. He hated them. They'd robbed his family of the one person that mattered the most. He couldn't do it...he just couldn't. Soujin watched him for a bit before his son finally noticed him.

"Dad you can't make me do it! You know how I feel about them and you know why," he began but his father waved him silent.

"I do know and I have always understood. I agreed with you in the beginning; encouraged it even," he frowned. He knew what he was about to do would change everything for them all and he hoped it was the right thing. "I have something here for you to read. It's from your mother," he held up what looked like a rolled parchment. His wife was quite successful with certain types of magic and preventing paper from disintegrating in salt water was one of her specialties. "She wanted me to give it to you when you turned eighteen, I have scrolls for both your brother and sister as well. She wrote these when you were little and left them in my care when she died. I was so angry and hurt over her death that I wanted to destroy them...but I couldn't. They were gifts to you children and although, in my grief, I didn't want you to read them I still couldn't get rid of them."

Souichi reached out for the scroll a little hesitantly and unrolled it, his eyes widening.

**My Beloved Son,**

**If you are reading this, it means that I am no longer with you. I had hoped you would never have need of this scroll, that I would be able to tell you this story myself. I am sorry that that obviously wasn't the case.**

**Once upon a time (isn't that how all fairy tales begin?) there was a young Ningyo noble named Soujin. When he reached his majority, his family decided to send him on what was dubbed the 'Grand Tour.' This was an ancient custom among the nobility at the time. When the child grew up and turned twenty-one they would undergo a ceremony that would turn them human. They would then leave the water to walk the world and learn about the land dwellers customs.**

**Soujin was a good son and was excited to see a bit more of the world so he became human willingly. Everything was set up for him in the town he was designated to enter. He had a small wardrobe and adequate money to get started. He was a dedicated and serious young man and was more than willing to work for what he needed to survive the length of the tour.**

**A couple of months later he had entered a moderate sized city and met a wealthy business man. His new acquaintance was very impressed with him and eventually invited him home for dinner. That was when he was introduced to the man's four daughters. The man was hoping to marry this new up-and-comer to his eldest but she was already involved with the minister's son (although her father didn't know it at the time). Soujin was also not the kind of man to marry for money with no feelings involved.**

**As the young man got to know the family, the fourth daughter caught his eye. She was a bit of a bookworm, what the humans referred to as a bluestocking. He thought she was the most beautiful girl in either world, passionate and loyal. She was only fifteen at the time and her father wouldn't even consider her marrying until she was at least seventeen. Her father tried to send the young noble away when he caught the two kissing in the garden. The girl wasn't having that and before Soujin was even a mile away from the city she had joined him.**

**It took her awhile to convince him that she was serious and wasn't about to go back home. That was when he told her his secret; that he was a noble son born to Ningyo parents. He explained how it all came about that he was on dry land and although she didn't entirely believe him, she decided to trust him. She convinced him that she loved him enough to give up everything she'd known and join him as his wife.**

**He very reluctantly brought her back to the village where he had begun his adventure and sent word to his parents that he'd found his soul mate. Within Ningyo society it isn't unheard of for girls of fifteen or sixteen to marry so neither he nor his parents had a problem with her age. His parents were more afraid of her becoming homesick and trying o run away, back to her family. They wanted to be sure that this was her true wish and that she wouldn't change her mind. They honestly didn't reckon with her! She met every challenge and succeeded when they thought she'd beg to return home.**

**By the end of the week when Soujin returned to his true form, she joined him as his wife, changed into her new form and went to live in his mansion under the sea. She had three beautiful children that she tried to raise to be open, honest, brave, and kind.**

**I don't know what might have happened to take me from you, Souichi; but I thought it only right that you should know how you came to be and that you are a mix of both worlds...above and below the sea.**

**Your Loving Mother**

* * *

Isogai was pacing outside the palace when Souichi returned. The counselor noticed that the young prince had been crying and he seemed down. When Souichi saw him he gave a halfhearted glare and swam up beside him.

Before Isogai could say anything, the prince spoke, "I knew my parents had a close relationship. That they loved each other to distraction. The only ones who could get in between them were us children. I never understood why though, until today." He sighed and gazed into the distance as he thought back, "I didn't used to hate the humans. In fact I saved one once. He was nothing more than a boy, same as me at the time. I was so proud when my mom found out and praised me so highly. After that every time I knew a ship was in the area I would swim up to watch so if it floundered I would be able to help."

Isogai had never heard all this before so he kept his silence, indicating for the younger blonde to continue. "One day I made a mistake. The ship was a fishing vessel and her crew saw me and recognized me as something different. Mother got worried and came after me. She always had a sixth sense when it came to us kids," he smiled sadly. "She managed to get me free of their nets but they caught her instead. We were finally able to escape but she sustained a very severe injury from a harpoon. I don't know how we made it back home without attracting any sharks, but I got her home to Dad. However it was too late, she'd been hurt too severely and she died a few days later."

By this time he was crying again but didn't seem to notice. "I grew to hate and fear the humans for taking her away from us. Dad felt the same way and encouraged me without either of us even noticing he was doing it. However, deep down inside, I knew they weren't the real culprits. I was the one to blame. It was my fault for being naïve and getting her killed. If only..." here his voice faded out. He couldn't continue. Isogai kept silent as Souichi worked to get himself back under control. He finally concluded, "Maybe it's time I grew up and faced my fears." He turned to the counselor.

"I'm ready now, you can cast that spell. You can make me...human."

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

"We...ell, Sou-kun. It's not exactly a spell," the Royal Counselor began. The two began to swim back towards Isogai's study. "It's a potion." Souichi didn't care so he motioned for the other Ningyo to continue. "It's going to take a day or so to make." By this time they had reached his study and he swam over to his desk and picked up two vials.

"I found Tomoe's memories in the witches belongings," he held out a small cobalt blue bottle to show the Crown Prince. "All you'll have to do is get him to drink this vial and the spell will be broken; returning him to his previous form."

Souichi nodded, "What's in the other bottle?" He nodded toward the green vial in the older blonde's hand.

"This is, I believe, a potion that will break whatever spell Kurokawa is under and enable him to return to us."

Souichi sighed, "Do we  **have**  to?" His voice sounded serious but his eyes gave him away; they were bright with mischief.

"Do you really want to be King?" Isogai asked dryly.

"If he's alive, I'll bring him back," the younger Ningyo promised with a slightly ill look.

Isogai turned away before he began to grin, 'Score!'

* * *

Two days had passed and Souichi was pacing again. He was impatient to get his brother and future brother-in-law back as soon as possible and the counselor was taking forever to finish the damn potion! He tried not to bug the man too much, he knew it would take some time. However, he wanted to get this show on the road. Fortunately, he hadn't been standing idle while he waited. He'd scouted around the shoreline and had spotted where Tomoe was staying. He'd seen him being shown around by a human that actually looked like the true King, and another man who seemed strangely familiar to the blonde. The more he covertly watched the threesome, the more convinced he became that Tomoe might have actually been on to something. Of course this made him even more impatient.

The morning of the third day Isogai found him pacing again outside the castle. "Souichi, I think we're ready!" he sang out and the younger male swam back to him excitedly.

"It's about time!" he answered with his patent glare. "So where's the potion?" he asked impatiently as he looked the counselor up and down.

"In my study; come along. I still have some stuff to tell you," the older blonde motioned him to follow.

Once they reached the room, Isogai made Souichi sit down as he finished his explanations. "First, here are the potions for Tomoe and Mitsugu. Do not get them mixed up!"

"Right, blue for Tomoe and green for Kurokawa," Souichi confirmed he knew which was for which.

"Good. Now before I give you the one meant for you, we have a bit more to discuss. I talked this over with your father and he agrees with me; so hear me out. This potion was created for the user to accomplish something before it breaks. And to bind the potion to the user, they have to give up something of themselves that has value. For instance, Tomoe wanted to find Mitsugu because he loved him and wanted him back. He was willing to give up his memories to accomplish that."

"I won't give up my memories for anyone!" Souichi began to rant but was stopped by the older male.

"That's not what I'm saying. For you it would be something different," he smiled slyly.

"I'm not going to like this...am I?" the prince groaned.

"Probably not, but here's the deal. You need to learn how to accept...maybe even like humans again." He paused until the younger Ningyo stopped sputtering, "And you'll have to accomplish this without your voice."

"Whaaat!?" Souichi screeched.

* * *

When Tetsuhiro arrived at the boarding house where Kurokawa had rooms he found his friend and their newest companion out back in the garden. Tomoe loved the peace well away from the bustle of the wharf and couldn't get enough of the plants and small animals that enjoyed the garden as well.

"Are you two ready to go?" he asked when the other two men looked up. Kurokawa smiled as he helped the younger man to rise.

"I think so Morinaga-kun. Tomoe, are you ready?" he looked down at the younger man who still seemed a bit lost, although he was adapting well enough. He would have flashes of memory but then they'd disappear. It was so disappointing for Tomoe. He smiled a bit sadly and began to rise, only to cringe when he tried to stand.

"We need to get him back to the wharf," Tetsuhiro said in a worried tone. "The pain is getting worse."

"At this rate, I don't think he's going to be able to settle very far away from the sea," Kurokawa agreed.

"It may be taking me awhile to adjust, but I can do it!" Tomoe showed a flash of anger. He was frustrated. These two had tried to help him so much over the last few days and he felt like he was failing them, especially his supposed fiance. He also hated feeling like an invalid. He might not remember much but he knew this was something he had hated in his former life as well.

Shortly after they were settled in the carriage he asked, "Kurokawa-san, if we're from the same place, why are you here?" The oldest of the three looked embarrassed.

"I, uh, did something I shouldn't have. I was curious about a small ship that was anchored close to where we lived. I had been advised to leave it alone, but I went to investigate anyway. About the time I reached it, there was a bright light and something happened to me." He hesitated to tell the young man everything, he didn't want to scare Tomoe and without his memories, his own story would seem insane. Tomoe seemed to sense all this and patted his hand.

"Please tell me everything Kurokawa-san, I know you and I are different from Morinaga-san. I'm not sure how I know, but I do."

Kurokawa hung his head and sighed, "I hope I'm not causing added damage by telling you, but we're Ningyo. Our race lives in the ocean off the coast of what humans call Japan. We have gills that enable us to breathe underwater and tails instead of legs. That's why bathing in the sea water helps with the pain." Tomoe pondered that and then nodded for him to continue.

"It was pure luck that Morinaga-kun was on that vessel and saw me break the water's surface. He brought me on board and gave me a place to stay until we could figure out what happened."

Tetsuhiro spoke up, "When Kurokawa-san broke the water, he was still changing and I recognized him for what he was. The folklore of the Mer, or Ningyo, has fascinated me for a long time; ever since I was a young boy. Having Kurokawa-san here to answer my questions has been wonderful, but he doesn't belong here." He looked over at the younger man, "And neither do you. We need to figure out a way for you both to regain your birthright and go home."

By this time the three had arrived at the wharf and entered their workroom. Tomoe began to strip and quickly slipped into the water as the other two men went over to the study area to begin their research again.

* * *

Souichi watched the three men arrive at the small building. He had already swam inside earlier to see what was in the building and had to admit he was impressed. It was time to take the damn potion and get the two he'd come for to go home. He took a deep breath and swam up until he crested through the water and surfaced. Being a sea creature, he couldn't breathe air for very long, or he'd take the chance of swimming in and not changing. However, given what he'd finally agreed to do, it wasn't feasible. He had about ten minutes once he drank the potion to get into the building before it took effect. Once that happened he wouldn't be able to speak but, thanks to his mother, he would understand what was being said to him and he'd just have to use gestures to make himself understood.

When he was younger he hadn't understood why his mother had wanted to teach him human language but now it made sense and since she'd come from this area, Japanese was what she'd taught him. When Tomoe had gotten to be too much underfoot, he had passed on his mother's teachings so both sons were bilingual. Souichi could even write it if necessary, although he wasn't certain how grammatically correct it was. 'Ok, enough wasting time!' he scolded himself as he pulled out the amber vial that held his potion. He positioned himself so he could swim as quickly as possible into the building and hurriedly gulped down the draught. "Blech!" he gasped and then dove under the water, his tail flashing golden in the sun.

The change began so slowly that he didn't even notice it at first. Then he realized that he was having trouble breathing and his swimming faltered for a moment. He quickly took off again and by the time he felt his lungs were bursting from the need to breathe, his tail began to split in two and he broke the water's surface, gasping. He was in so much pain that it was all he could do to hold onto the wood around the pool area in the building and not slip back into the water. There was dead silence and then he felt strong hands reaching to pull him out of the water and other hands wrapping a blanket around his shivering form.

When he finally looked up, it was straight into the greenest eyes he'd ever seen. The eyes belonged to the other man he'd seen with Tomoe on his scouting trips. Said man looked down at him with wonder and then he gently smiled and whispered, "You came back to me."

Before anything more could be said Kurokawa interrupted, "Sou-kun, what? When?  **How**?" Souichi glared and forgot about his changed appearance as he tried to lunge at the idiot standing in front of him and almost fell.

"Whoa," Morinaga chuckled as he caught the waterlogged blonde. "I doubt you'll be steady on your legs right away. Try not to rush it." The soft baritone of the bigger man did something funny to Souichi's insides but he wasn't in the mood to figure out what right now, so he huffed in frustration and sat down on the bed. He looked over at the study area and then looked up and made a writing motion with his hands. Kurokawa got the point and hurried to bring pen and paper over to his future brother-in-law.

Souichi nodded his thanks and began to write. He was writing in Ningyo at the moment so even though the stranger couldn't read what he said, the other two could.

**You idiot! Not only do you disappear but you corrupted my little brother too! Now I've had to come to sort all this shit out. Fuck how did this happen?**

Tomoe looked surprised and the stranger perplexed but Kurokawa blushed, "I don't know Sou-kun. One minute I was fine and the next I was like this."

Souichi frowned and thought before writing again,  **Did you do something to piss off the sea witch?**

Kurokawa looked surprised, "A couple weeks before I changed we had gotten into an argument over hunting rights near the reef. You think she had something to do with this?"

**Oh yeah,** the blonde wrote,  **she's the one who gave Tomoe the potion to change into a human. It makes sense that she did something to you too.**

Kurokawa glared and for once actually looked like the leader he was, "I'll have to take care of her when I return."

Souichi snorted,  **Don't worry about it. She's dead. It looked like the sharks got her.**

The brunette blanched, "Then how will we be changed back?" Souichi waved in a shushing motion and continued writing.

**Isogai came up with some remedies. I have them here.**  He dug under the blanket and unhooked a pouch from around his waist.  **Tomoe's spell will break when you go back to your original form and decide to return home.**

"What do you think I've been trying to do all this time?" Kurokawa asked with a frown. Souichi smiled and held out the green vial.

**All you have to do is drink this and get ready to go back into the water. I have a vial here for Tomoe if his spell doesn't break from you changing.**

Kurokawa quickly nodded and slipped out of his clothes to sit at the water's edge. He held up the vial and said, "Here goes nothing." Then he threw back his head to drink it down.

The change back happened quickly and before anyone else could do more than blink, he had returned to his original form with a beautiful tail of shimmering greens. "Beautiful," Tetsuhiro murmured as Kurokawa laughed and did a flip at the joy of being himself again.

"Come on Tomo-chan, let's go home," the older man held out his hand to the younger and with a blinding flash of light, Tomoe's azure and gold tail reformed and he slipped into the water to rush at his lover.

"Kurokawa-san! I remember!" he cheered as he practically sailed into the other male's arms. Souichi looked down and the blue vial that had been sitting in his lap was gone. He smiled in joy to see this part of the plan accomplished so easily. Tomoe turned back to him, "Nii-san, let's all go home together!"

Souichi's smile grew a little sad,  **I can't Tomoe,**  he wrote.  **I have a few things to accomplish here first.**  He looked up at the silent man standing nearby and changed his writing to Japanese for him to be able to read it.  **Now that those two are back to normal, can I stay here for awhile? I have a bit of a...quest to accomplish.**

Tetsuhiro was delighted, "Of course you may. You can either make this place your home, or you can join me at mine as my guest."

Souichi hesitated a second as a delicate blush flowed across the bridge of his nose and then scribbled quickly,  **Thank you...?**

"Tetsuhiro."

**Tetsuhiro, then; and I'm Souichi.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yea! They finally met. ^^ Now the real fun begins.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soooo sorry it took this long to continue with the story! For anyone who wants to know why, check the end of this chapter for the explanation for it
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

 

It had been a few hours since Souichi had changed into a human. Both Kurokawa and Tomoe had headed back home; it was past time for the king to reclaim his throne. Tetsuhiro had left shortly after the other two, saying that he had some errands to run.

Souichi was glad for the down time. He'd found some clothing that nearly fit him and once he'd corralled his hair into a messy ponytail and dressed, he'd settled down at the library area. He was delighted at the books the bookshelves contained and had been happily reading for some time when a knock sounded on the door and the larger man entered.

“I think these will fit better than what you have on now, Souichi-san,” Tetsuhiro said with a smile when he saw his newest guest sitting at the desk.

The blonde looked up with one brow raised and stood to see what his host had brought him. He gasped and closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths before being able to move. He had sat for too long in one place and his new limbs had seized up on him.

When Tetsuhiro moved to help, Souichi frowned and help up a hand, indicating that he only needed a moment. When he was ready, he hobbled over to his host. 'Damn he's a big man!' he thought as he eyed Tetsuhiro. “He's even taller than Kurokawa...and bulkier.' He took the clothes and nodded his thanks as he held them up. The trousers were made from a soft but sturdy material and dyed black. The shirt buttoned up the front and was a light blue color. He held the material up to his face and rubbed it against his cheek; smiling softly without realizing it. The clothes felt good against his skin and considering how sore and dry he felt, this was a nice change. He looked up at his host and again indicated his appreciation with a nod of his head.

Souichi walked over to the cot and began to strip. Tetsuhiro blushed and quickly turned his back before he did anything he knew he'd regret later. He wanted to peek soooo badly but he made himself behave.

Once Souichi was dressed, he turned around to find the brunette facing the other way. With a baffled frown on his face he moved to catch the others eye and Tetsuhiro smiled at him when he saw how the clothes fit. “You look great!” he sighed as he looked the smaller man over.

Souichi blushed, confused about why he was embarrassed and made his way back to the desk to grab his pen and paper. He scribbled furiously for a moment and then held the pad out for Tetsuhiro to read.

**Why did you turn away if you wanted to see how the clothes fit?**

Tetsuhiro blushed and stammered, “I, uh, was trying to give you privacy.”

**Why?**

The brunette ran his finger around the inside of his suddenly tight shirt collar and blushed, “In my world, watching someone you are not married to change clothes is very...inappropriate.”

Souichi frowned as he thought over what he'd been told. **But we're both male, correct?** Tetsuhiro nodded so the blonde continued writing. **Wouldn't it be more unseemly for a male to watch a female change?**

Tetsuhiro cocked his head to the side, “Yes, but isn't **your** brother engaged to the King of your world?” He gave a mischievous grin to the now furiously blushing blonde.

**Yes, but we're not talking about my world! We're talking about yours!!**

Tetsuhiro continued to grin as he leaned toward the other man and whispered, “Male relationships may be horribly frowned on in my world but...they aren't unheard of.”

* * *

 

Later that day, the two men found themselves ensconced in Tetsuhiro's study. Souichi was reading a book on American sign language that he'd found in the workroom's library while Tetsuhiro was kicked back with a glass of whiskey watching the blonde as he went over some of the signs that he had discovered.

The blonde looked up and caught the other man staring. Blushing a little, he huffed in exasperation at his reactions to the brunette and slowly signed, “Do you understand this?”

Tetsuhiro grinned and answered, “Yes, I know how to sign. You're catching on quickly,” he continued, impressed.

“Thanks,” Souichi returned. “This is much easier than writing all the time,” he signed slowly, looking pleased with himself. “I've always been able to learn new things swiftly.” He looked at the other man in curiosity, “Why do you know how to do this?”

Tetsuhiro sighed, “One of my foremen had an accident that shattered his eardrums. I had heard about a language that the deaf could use to communicate with, so I investigated and came up with this book. I bought one for myself and one for him so that he could continue his work with me.”

Souichi nodded, looking impressed, “You're a kind man.”

The brunette flushed to the roots of his hair and quickly shook his head as he denied, “I think it was extremely selfish of me. I didn't want to lose an able and completely trained employee who hadn't asked to lose his hearing in order to train someone new who wouldn't do nearly as good a job.”

Souichi just shook his head, “You didn't want a good man to end up on the streets through no fault of his own. You took in that idiot of a king when he needed help and allowed him to stay until he could find his way home. You took me in and have helped me when I am a complete stranger to you.” His eyes sharpened as he finished decisively, “You **are** a good man.”

Tetsuhiro laughed at that. “I took in Kurokawa because I was curious about his heritage and wanted to learn more. And you...” here he paused and looked at the blonde with an unreadable expression in his eyes, “your presence here is due to me being entirely selfish.”

Souichi only arched an eyebrow and waited for his host to continue. And after a moment, he did. “When I was a boy, my father and I were traveling here from Europe and our ship went down. Some time after I went into the water, I saw a very singular sight. A boy with amber eyes, blonde hair and a tail was angrily swatting at some birds.” Souichi's eyes began to widen. “He saved my life by getting me to dry land. For a long time I thought he was a figment of my imagination. But he wasn't, was he?”

Souichi lightly blushed again and shook his head. He looked the other man over very carefully. There wasn't much left of the boy he remembered, until he looked into Tetsuhiro's deep green eyes. “I should have known,” he signed as he sighed. “No one else could have eyes that color.”

Tetsuhiro relaxed back into his leather armchair. “That was when I realized that I wasn't like other boys.” He smiled softly, “You were my first crush.”

That startled Souichi, “Shut up!” Tetsuhiro laughed again; the blonde found that he liked the sound of that warm voice, even if the man made him uncharacteristically nervous.

“You said you had a quest. Maybe I can help you with it,” Tetsuhiro offered. “What are you supposed to accomplish?”

Souichi ducked his head; he really didn't want to explain it. 'But this man!' he argued with himself. 'He's done so much and asked for nothing in return. He's kind, even if he doesn't like to admit it.' He raised his head and searched Tetsuhiro's face. 'Maybe he **can** help me with this shit. He may be the only one.' He nodded firmly and said, “After I helped you, something happened that caused me to mistrust and hate humans.”

Tetsuhiro sat up, watching the blonde's hands intently. “What happened?” he asked, seriously as he watched the emotions dance across Souichi's face.

“My...mother was killed by fishermen,” his face closed in on itself as the remembered pain shot through him once again. Tetsuhiro made to move towards him, but stopped himself as the blonde continued, “That incident broke something inside of me and I became very bitter towards all humanity. I still am,” he signed fiercely as he glared at the brunette. “But during this fiasco with Tomoe, I found out that my mother had once been a human being so I decided to come here to get him and his baka fiance back. Before I can return, I have to learn how to accept humans, learn about them, and...maybe...put my hatred aside.”

“If there is anything I can do to help, tell me,” Tetsuhiro said earnestly.

“Help me to see this world as it really is,” Souichi signed seriously. “Show me both the good and the bad. Let me stay here and experience the human realm so I can make up my own mind.”

Tetsuhiro practically bounced in his seat, “Gladly! I'll do my best to show you that for every ill deed done, there are many beautiful experiences waiting to be seen! I want to help.”

Souichi just shook his head as he watched the other man's antics, 'You already have, idiot.'

* * *

 

As the days passed, the two men fell into a routine. They would rise in the morning and head to the workroom so that Souichi could bathe his legs in the sea water. Then they would argue their way over to Tetsuhiro's office in order for the brunette to take care of whatever business he needed to do. After that, their day consisted of Tetsuhiro showing and explaining the human world to his companion.

The townsfolk soon got used to seeing the two men together and found their association to be more than a bit amusing. As they walked down the main thoroughfare, it was usually obvious that they were arguing. The blonde stranger's fingers moved like lightening, objecting to everything Tetsuhiro had to say. It was equally obvious to all who saw them that the larger man found his companion very amusing and absolutely loved winding him up. It usually ended in Souichi punching Tetsuhiro in the shoulder or the chin. At least he tried; more often then not, the brunette would dodge or catch his fist before it could land. Tetsuhiro couldn't resist; he absolutely loved teasing his companion and felt that the occasional punch was more than worth seeing the fire alight in Souichi's eyes.

Even though Tetsuhiro frustrated him with his mischievousness, Souichi was fascinated by everything he encountered. He especially enjoyed watching the wildlife that inhabited the outskirts of the town. He gasped the first time he saw a deer. And Tetsuhiro had to stop him from trying to catch a small fox when it ran by.

“Souichi-san! Wait,” he grabbed the man from behind and held him close as he stiffened in his hold. “It may be small but it's still a wild animal. It can hurt you,” he spoke softly into the now flaming ear.

The blonde huffed and quickly pulled himself away from the taller man. 'Why does he always do this! Getting in my space...' He looked up into Tetsuhiro's smiling face and his thoughts completely flew out of his mind. He silently straightened his clothes and stalked off.

As much as he enjoyed the wildlife around the town, the blonde couldn't relax among the humans. They were too strange to him with their customs and 'society.' He didn't understand their way of doing things; they were alien to him with the one exception of Morinaga, as he now called him. He didn't get the necessary suffixes that the brunette insisted on calling everyone by. Of course he didn't use them in his own world either, he didn't see the necessity.

Souichi also had the misfortune to meet his host's family. Well, his stepfather was alright but it was hate at first sight when he was introduced to Tetsuhiro's mother. Tetsuhiro's stepfather had cornered the two men a few days earlier and had invited them over for dinner. It hadn't gone well. The woman (as Souichi had dubbed her) had made it clear that she distrusted the blonde. He couldn't understand her attitude and had reacted accordingly. After they had left, she had rounded on her husband.

“What is Tetsuhiro thinking! That man doesn’t belong here, he's in the way!” she stormed as she paced back and forth.

“Why? He's obviously a friend of Tetsu's,” her husband responded. “He's not causing any harm.”

“He's taking up all of my son's time!” She continued to pace. “How is Tetsuhiro supposed to find a wife if all his time is taken up with that man!?!”

“Not this again?” her husband sighed. “I thought you agreed to let your obsession go?”

“I **want** grandchildren!”

* * *

 

Isogai quickly swam to the King's chambers. There had been quite a flurry of activity when Mitsugu had returned with Tomoe in tow. The council chamber had been in an uproar and Soujin had practically wept, he was so relieved to step down from his duties as well as happy that his second child had returned. When Isogai entered the room he saw the three men he had been thinking about gathered at one end.

“Isogai-san!” Tomoe quickly swam towards him. “Have you heard anything from my brother?”

“Not yet, Tomo-chan,” he replied with a confident smile masking his unease about this conversation.

“How long before my son returns?” Soujin asked, knowing that something was bothering the blonde.

“I'm not sure how long it will take for Sou-kun to break the spell the potion placed on him,” he admitted reluctantly. When he'd explained the potion to Souichi, he'd left out one rather major detail, knowing that if he'd explained it to the blonde, the man might not have followed through with the plan to bring the other two back. He knew Souichi's family weren't going to be happy about it.

Kurokawa rolled his eyes as he joined the Tatsumi's in questioning his friend, “What did you do?”

Isogai gave a nervous chuckle as he scratched the back of his neck. “Well...you see...” he trailed off, still reluctant to explain. He took a deep breath and said in a rush, “He doesn't just have to learn to accept and tolerate humans. Hehastofallinlovewithone!”

The other men's reactions were varied when they finally worked out what the blonde had said. Tomoe was the one who finally summed it up for the rest, “He's **never** coming home, is he?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, the reason for my long absence from this story. Last year, right around the time I posted Chapter 4, I got some bad news about my family. I was told that two young children, the daughters of the girlfriend of my family member were in a potentially abusive situation. Their mother and father were involved in a very messy custody battle (they still are) and the girls, who were with their father at the time were in a dangerous situation involving a friend of his. The idiot refused to see the danger and their mother was beside herself.
> 
> Understand, everything is much better and the girls are in a safe environment now, even though their custody is still up in the air. I was never directly involved, just someone their mother could talk to. However it affected my writing. This story was supposed to be light and playful, but dark elements began to creep in. I refused to let personal concerns ruin this story so I took time off from it.
> 
> The ideas have begun coming back to me and I now feel like I have the right mindset to continue and finish this little tale, so I am doing just that. ^^ I will continue with Kamaboko until it is finished before I move on to my other stories. Then I will work on them one at a time, because it is also apparent that I can't mulitask! :-)
> 
> Again, I am so sorry that it took so long to get back to this, but I want to thank everyone for their patience!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yea! New chapter! I'm sorry it took longer than anticipated. It's been a struggle to keep Souichi in character. Anyway...
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

 

A little over a month after Souichi came to live with Tetsuhiro, an invitation was issued to all of the influential citizens in the town that an Imperial Ball would be held to celebrate the Silver Anniversary of the Emperors Ascension to the Throne. Souichi didn't see the point but his host had other ideas and forced him to be fitted for a formal suit. Of course he went, metaphorically, kicking and screaming all the way. Tetsuhiro, however would have none of that.

“Look,” he finally said in exasperation as they made their way to the tailor's, “you're supposed to learn about the human world. A large part of this world is all about social interaction. What better place to experience that than at a ball?”

Souichi huffed as he continued to stalk down the street. 'Why does he have to use logic **now**!?!' He glared at his companion, “Fine! I'll go to the stupid dance...but I refuse to make a fool of myself on the dance floor!” He had discovered over the past few weeks that although, on the surface, Morinaga was a very kind and gentle soul, he had a core of steel that could not be shaken. It made him an exceedingly good businessman, but it also made him dig in his heels with a stubbornness that rivaled Souichi's own. And in his world he had a tendency to argue the blonde around to his way of thinking more often then not. This irritated the older man to no end...and occasionally made him very nervous.

Tetsuhiro had begun to, the blonde couldn't think of any other way to put it, woo him with everything he had. It took every ounce of stubbornness Souichi possessed to ignore the younger man's advances. He couldn't help but wonder when Morinaga's dominant side would rear its head and make Souichi surrender to his wishes. He knew the man was capable of it, his own body was betraying him more with every day that passed. He had become so used to Tetsuhiro's touchy feely nature that he actually missed it when Morinaga wasn't around. That pissed Souichi off; the fact that he trusted this man instinctively even though his mind was constantly screaming at him to run away.

This state of affairs troubled the blonde. He was, against his will, becoming more attached to the younger man. However, he was missing his home...his family. He didn't want to live on dry land and he refused to make Morinaga choose between his life on land and Souichi's life in the sea.

What he failed to realize was that for Tetsuhiro, **he** was quickly becoming the other man's life; and wherever he went, Tetsuhiro would willingly follow. For the younger man's part, he had fallen completely in love with the blonde and his apparent obliviousness was frustrating to say the least. He wanted to show Souichi that he didn't just want his body, but the whole package. He didn't want him to change, he loved his heritage as well as his passion, intelligence, and bluntness. He wanted Souichi to want him just as much, and he was beginning to lose hope that it could happen.

As they reached their destination Tetsuhiro stopped Souichi before they entered, “Do you not have dances in your world?”

“Of course we do!” Souichi signed furiously. “But I never saw the point of learning how! It always seemed such a bother.” He looked away with red tinting his cheeks, completely flustered.

'He's so cute!' Tetsuhiro thought, his eyes softening as he looked at the older man. “How about I teach you?” he finally asked out loud.

“Teach me?” the blonde asked, suspiciously raising any eyebrow.

“Yeah. We have a couple of weeks before the ball. That's more than enough time for me to teach you. After this fitting, we'll begin.”

Souichi sighed and answered, “Fine, if I must. I don't see the point, though.” A sudden and worrying thought came to him and he glared at the brunette. “Don't try anything funny, understand!?!”

Tetsuhiro held up both of his hands in a gesture of surrender as he laughed outright. “I wouldn't dream of it!” It was unfortunate for the younger man that Souichi nervously noticed the mischievousness dancing in his eyes.

 

* * *

 

“A ball, a ball!” sang Tetsuhiro's mother as she danced into her husband's study shortly after her own fitting was completed.

“Oh, joy,” he answered dryly without looking up from his paperwork.

“It's going to be so lovely!” she beamed at him.

“Overheated and overwhelmingly flower-filled,” he muttered softly, continued with what he was writing.

“I've heard the food will be exceedingly elegant!” she crowed, completely caught up in relaying the gossip.

“Only appetizers,” he groaned.

“And there will be a fully stocked bar,” she sighed happily.

“Thank the gods, I'm going to need it,” he replied soft enough to be ignored.

“Now all I have to do is make sure to send only the loveliest single ladies over to Tetsuhiro and his **friend** ,” she plotted while almost growling the last word, completely caught up in her fantasy, “and the rest will be history!” At that she waltzed right out of the room, leaving behind her very frustrated spouse.

“My dear, you've read too many of...what did she call them?” he said to himself as he frowned, trying to dredge up the proper term. His eyes lit up as he snapped his fingers, “That's right...fairy tails!”

 

* * *

 

_The first night..._

After an early dinner, the two men headed out to the backyard of Tetsuhiro's home. There was a nice open area, surrounded by a high wall that would do well for a practice area.

“Alright. There are four basic dances everyone is expected to know,” Tetsuhiro began the lesson. “We're going to go over the steps of each for the next four nights, just to get you used to them and then over the remaining week we'll practice until the night of the ball. Sound good?”

Souichi shrugged and then asked, “What are the dances?”

“They're called the quadrille, waltz, polka, and tango. The quadrille is a pain in the ass and extremely old fashioned, but the older generation loves it. The waltz is probably the most romantic dance I've ever seen, while the tango is the sexiest as well as the newest import, and the polka is just flat out fun,” he grinned as he answered. “Let's start with the quadrille. It'll take the longest to get down and it's the most formal.”

Souichi nodded as Tetsuhiro showed him how to begin. “I'll take the man's position –” he broke off as the blonde grabbed his arm with a frown.

“Why?” he signed furiously while backing up a few steps. “I'm no female!”

Tetsuhiro sighed and cocked his head to the side inquiringly, “I know you're not.” He looked Souichi up and down and continued with a suggestive leer. “You are **all** male. However, you don't know the steps and I do. This is just to show you how to do it and then we'll trade places. Don't worry; I'd never let you embarrass yourself.”

Souichi glared at the younger man, but in the end he stepped back in line; completely ignoring the 'all male' comment. They worked their way through the steps a few times until Souichi seemed to get the hang of it and then Tetsuhiro switched places with him and they went through the steps again with the younger man continuing his instruction. After another hour of practice they broke apart, both feeling that they had accomplished something.

“Fantastic, Souichi-san! You really **are** a very fast learner,” the brunette grinned as he sat down to catch his breath.

The blonde shrugged, failing to hide the fact that he looked very pleased, and sat down next to him. “So, what comes next?” he asked as the two relaxed.

Tetsuhiro smiled. “I think that's enough for tonight. Tomorrow, we'll practice the waltz; it's a much simpler dance to learn.” He stood and offered his hand to Souichi in order to pull him up before guiding them both inside.

They walked companionably up to Souichi's room, Tetsuhiro turning to look deeply into the other's eyes before he smiled. The blonde's eyes grew as big as saucers when the brunette suddenly leaned in. “Tonight was fun,” Tetsuhiro murmured with a quick kiss to the older man's cheek. “Good night.” He turned and quickly left Souichi, his door clicking shut quietly.

 

* * *

 

_The second night..._

Souichi carefully exited the house and watched as Tetsuhiro finished moving some garden furniture out of the way, widening the cleared area a bit. When the brunette turned around he asked with a curious tilt of his head, “What are you doing?”

“Giving us a bit more room. We'll need it tonight.”

“What's this one called again?” the blonde asked as he walked over to Tetsuhiro.

“The waltz. The steps are much easier than the quadrille. The difficulty lies in not tripping over your partner.” The look he gave Souichi was positively wicked as he tried to appear completely innocent.

Souichi stiffened, “You are enjoying this way too much...and what do you mean by **trip**?”

“In this dance, the couple dances close together,” he said as he moved to within an inch of the blonde.

“C-close together?” Souichi's hands faltered over the signs as he asked. Tetsuhiro only smiled wider. 'Shit!' The brunette placed his companion's hands in their appropriate places and then took him into his arms.

Souichi stiffened instinctively but Morinaga just chuckled. “You need to relax, Souichi-san; I don't bite. He paused until the blonde looked up at him and then said softly, “Well, not unless you want me to.” Tetsuhiro didn't even mind the smack to his head; it was worth it. 'At least he relaxed,' he thought to himself in amusement. He then turned serious as he began to instruct the blonde. “Whatever you do, don't look at your feet,” he said a he nudged the shorter man into looking up at him. “Believe it or not, you'll trip over your feet more if you look down.” He ignored the other's disbelieving look as he continued, “Now...one...two...and three...”

They began to slowly move across the ground with Tetsuhiro counting softly out loud to help Souichi get the beat. He would occasionally tell the blonde to stop looking at his feet, and after a while, Souichi realized that the brunette was correct; he messed up more whenever he looked down. After a few missteps, the two got the hang of the movements and danced in sync with one another. Before long, they were both caught up in the moment and moved as one; gazing into one another's eyes.

Souichi felt as if he was flying, he'd never experienced anything so freeing and later he would admit (if only to himself) that he'd been as much to blame as Morinaga for what happened at the end of the night.

After another hour of practice with the two men taking turns leading, they decided that they'd had enough and slowly made their way upstairs to their bedrooms to turn in for the night. Souichi was still a bit high from the dance and he failed to notice the longing look on the brunette's face. Tetsuhiro tapped him on the shoulder and the blonde turned with an eyebrow raised in question. Before he could register anything, Tetsuhiro grabbed the back of his neck and gently kissed him on the lips. Souichi's eyes widened as the younger man pulled away with a small smile.

He gently moved his hand down Souichi's jaw and stepped back with a quiet good night. Souichi, somewhat dazed and very confused, stumbled into his room and sank to the floor with his back to his now closed door. 'Why did he **do** that!?! No, no, no I **can't** do this...'

 

* * *

 

_The third night..._

Souichi paced nervously in his bedroom. He knew he had to have a talk with Morinaga, at dinner...that night! He didn't want to but he felt it was necessary in order to make the younger man understand that there was no way he'd stay in the human world. He just couldn't give up his way of life. He'd feigned a headache in order to stay home and think out his game plan, but he hadn't gotten very far; hence the nervous pacing.

“Souichi-san! Dinner is ready,” Morinaga called up the stairs and waited until the irate blonde started stomping down them before heading into his small dining room.

The blonde sat down and looked at his plate. Dinner was a form of western stew with meat and vegetables along with a slight Asian flair. It was delicious! He had noticed that Morinaga never served any form of fish and his curiosity finally got the better of him. He looked up at his companion with an inquisitive tilt to his head and asked, “Oi, Morinaga?” He had to knock on the table to get the younger man's attention; damn but he hated not being able to use his voice! “Don't you like seafood?”

Tetsuhiro almost choked on his food. “Y-yes I do, but,” he paused, “I felt like, for you, it would almost be cannibalism.”

Now it was Souichi's turn to choke. “Baka! What do you think we eat!?! Just don't kill and eat any Ningyo and it's all good!”

The younger man looked a little sick. “There's no way I could ever do that,” he said quietly. The older man couldn't help but be touched at the earnestness in Morinaga's face and voice and his expression softened.

“I know you couldn't,” he answered with a small smile, completely entrancing Tetsuhiro. The two finished their dinner in a comfortable silence. However, as they finished, Souichi's nerves came back to him.

As the two men headed for the backyard, Souichi finally began to try and explain himself to the other man, “Look, I know you...like me.”

Tetsuhiro smiled, “Yes I do, and more.”

Souichi stopped him. “I can't stay here! I'm not of this world and...and I miss my home,” he stared defiantly into emerald eyes.

The brunette frowned, “I know you do. I would never force you to stay,” he began but before he could continue the other man jerked away.

“And I'd never force you to give up everything to come with me!” he signed fiercely.

“You'd never have to force me, I'd come willingly!” Tetsuhiro turned Souichi to look at him. “I love you.”

“Don't!” Souichi wrenched himself free and looked up at the bigger man. “I like having you by my side, but I can't let you give up your entire world, your life, for me! I can't be that selfish.” he tried to turn away but Tetsuhiro wouldn't let him.

“You talk as if you know what my world is like,” he began almost angrily. “What you fail to realize is that you've become my world! Without you in it, this place would be a prison, not fit for me to live in. I love you, all of you! You're spirit, intelligence and yes, your heritage! I wouldn't want to take away anything that makes you the person you are.”

“But you'd give up everything that makes you who you are!?!” Souichi was having a hard time grasping this man's reasoning.

“Who I am is in spite of this world, not because of it!” Tetsuhiro grasped the blonde's arms above the elbows and shook him a little. “My world doesn't accept who I am! Even my own mother ignores my preferences and tries to force me into the societal norms. Sure, I'm successful but I don't really have a place here,” he continued quietly. “If I was open about who I am, I would be completely rejected by everyone...an outcast.” He gave the other man a small, sad smile. “Your world, the way you do things, would be heaven for me.”

Tetsuhiro then turned slightly from Souichi's dumbfounded expression and changed the subject. “Now, let's move on to tonight's lesson. We're practicing the polka, and I **know** you'll love it!”

The blonde just shook his head and followed after his host.

 

* * *

 

'Morinaga was right, damn it!' Souichi thought as they whirled around the clearing; this dance was great! They had spun around for an unknown amount of time until they both collapsed onto the ground, side by side, laughing in exhilaration. “That **was** fun!” he said, his eyes dancing as he turned onto his side to look at his host.

Tetsuhiro looked smug as he grinned at the blonde, “Told you so!” He laughed at Souichi's irate glare and then turned to look up at the sky. “Look up, Souichi-san! The stars are out tonight!”

Souichi looked confused, “Stars?”

“Yeah, up in the sky; do you see the points of light?” At the other man's nod, he continued, “Those are called stars. They're millions of miles away and yet we can still see their light. Have you ever heard of constellations?” he asked as he looked at his guest. When the blonde shook his head, he continued, “My father used to point them out to me, when I was little. See that group right there?” he pointed to a group that roughly looked like a spoon. “That's called the Big Dipper. And there? That's the Little Dipper.”

As they lay on the ground together, Tetsuhiro pointed out all of the constellations he could find and told Souichi their names and the stories behind them. Souichi asked questions and as the brunette answered them the blonde couldn't help but begin to realize just what this man had become to mean to him. He still refused to call it love, for he had never been in love before, but he began to think that this might actually be what it was...or something very close to it.

 

* * *

 

_The fourth night...finally_

Things had changed. Neither were sure why exactly, but they both silently acknowledged the change in their relationship. As they headed out to the backyard, yet again, there was a peace between them that they had never felt before...and it was nice. No, better than nice...it was as if they'd both come home. They didn't speak; neither man wanted to mess this new feeling up, so they silently faced each other.

Tetsuhiro took a deep breath, “O-ok. Tonight is the tango. As I said before, it's probably the sexiest dance I've ever seen.” He laughed as he continued, “Probably more marriage proposals have occurred after this dance than any other.”

Souichi gave him a level look as he slowly signed, “So...are you **trying** to seduce me?”

His host heatedly returned look as he stepped into his space, “Would it work?” Before Souichi could gather his wits, Tetsuhiro began the lesson. The blonde was never able to figure out an answer to that question.

After Souichi got the hang of it, they took turns leading. Souichi was never quite able to dip his partner, Tetsuhiro was just too heavy, but otherwise he did well and secretly had to admit that the dance was very erotic, especially when Morinaga led. After a while all conversation ceased and the two just enjoyed the dance and each other's company. They had been gazing deeply into each other's eyes for a while when Souichi realized what they were doing and tried to back away. That resulted in a stumble that ended with the two men falling with Tetsuhiro sitting on the ground and Souichi straddling him.

Before Souichi could scramble back, Tetsuhiro loosely wrapped his hands around the smaller man's waist and never broke eye contact as he slowly moved forward to kiss him, deeply this time.

Souichi never knew what came over him but he sighed into the kiss and wrapped his arms around the bigger man's shoulders with a small groan. When Tetsuhiro pulled away, he saw acceptance in the beautiful amber eyes in front of him and he smiled; a truly wonderful smile filled with all of his feelings. The intensity took Souichi's breath away and he slowly nodded in acknowledgment. The two men helped each other up and Tetsuhiro led the man he loved with all of his heart inside.

 

* * *

 

Neither knew nor cared that they'd been seen. Tetsuhiro's stepfather gently led his now silently crying wife away from her son's house with the knowledge that reality could really be a bitch.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

* * *

 

The two men managed to make it up the stairs to the second floor without tripping over any of the furniture. They weren't exactly paying any attention to where they were going, as they had continued to kiss as they walked. For once Souichi wasn't over-thinking anything. In fact he wasn't thinking at all as he felt Morinaga's lips claiming his in a hungry and demanding way. He had been right in thinking that the younger man had a dominant side to him, for all of his gentleness.

The younger man pressed Souichi into the wall next to the master bedroom door and drew away from his tantalizing mouth to slowly descend and latch onto his throat, garnering a moan from the blonde. Souichi managed to force open his eyes when he felt Morinaga pull back slightly. “Do you want me to stop, Souichi-san?” he asked, his eyes dark.

He huffed and quickly signed, “Souichi! No -san, damn it, baka!” And then he moved forward to reconnect their lips. He didn't want to think about what they were doing, he just wanted it to continue. If he thought too much, he'd run away.

Tetsuhiro grinned into the renewed kiss and blindly opened his bedroom door before guiding his new lover inside and pushing him onto the large bed. Souichi's eyes opened wide as he bounced on the mattress and then Morinaga was hovering over him, completely surrounding him with his warmth and scent. The last thought in the overwhelmed blonde's mind was, 'Shit... **this** is where I belong.'

 

* * *

 

Tetsuhiro's stepfather winced as the front door to his home slammed open and his wife stormed through headed for their living room. He carefully closed it before following her to see her throwing cushions against the walls. It looked like a pillow blizzard.

“My dear, you need to calm down.”

“Calm down!?! How **can** I?” A pillow headed straight for his head. “That...that **seductor**! He's – he's enticed Tetsuhiro into a...an unnatural relationship!” she continued.

“I think you mean seducer,” he answered impishly.

“Whatever! He's corrupted my son!” she screamed, briefly making him glad that there were no servants around.

“Do you really think that? That Souichi-san initiated that scene we witnessed?” He knew what was coming and wasn't looking forward to it, but he knew it was necessary.

“Yes! No! I don't know!” She looked like she wanted to rip her hair out as she paced. “Don't act as if he's a friend! He's a...an...interloper! He' going to keep Tetsuhiro from finding his soul mate!!”

Her husband sighed and sat down as he looked at her. “What if **he** is Tetsuhiro's soul mate?” he asked quietly.

“He can't be,” she shrieked. “He's a **man** , he can't be,” she said more quietly this time. “Tetsuhiro needs a wife, a partner for his life.” She finally quit pacing and sat beside her husband.

“Souichi can be just as much of a partner, you know.”

“He can't give him children!” her voice rose again. Why couldn't her husband see that!?!

“Is that what this is all about?” he asked, finally giving way to his anger and frustration at his wife. “Tetsuhiro prefers **men** to women! Would you rather he be miserable and live a lie?” He began to warm up to his argument, “People are not as cut and dried as you seem to think. There are all kinds of relationships, some between men and women and others between the same sex! Are you so selfish that you'd rather your children be miserable just to satisfy your very narrow view of what is normal?” He finally sighed gain, “I thought you were better than that.”

She was staring at her husband in dismay. “My children? What do you mean?”

“Kunihiro is the same. He and Masaki-san left here in order to be together and they're **happy** together!” He glared back at his wife, not giving an inch. “I thought that you would prefer their happiness over your ideals!” They were now sitting facing one another with their noses almost touching, glaring at each other.

“He's what!?! I do want my boys to be happy! But how can they be, in this world? Others will judge them! Besides, I want grandchildren.”

“Don't you think that they'd want children too? Don't you think that if they had the choice that they'd rather be like others? Kunihiro and Masaki are very loving people and they had to accept this. Tetsuhiro had to as well. He wanted a family, dear. It broke his heart when he realized that it could never be. But he accepted that he couldn't live a lie. Now he's found someone who feels the same for him!” He pulled away and ran his hand through his hair, leaving it a tousled mess, “Leave him be.”

She sat back thinking hard about what her husband had said. She did want her children to be happy. She didn't want them to be alone for the rest of their lives or miserable living with someone they couldn't completely love. She had been lucky; luckier than she'd ever hoped in her life. She'd found two men she could be happy with. She finally huffed out a breath and whispered, “But...but grand babies!”

 

* * *

 

Souichi squinted his eyes shut against the sunlight that was streaming into the room. His head was a little fuzzy and his thoughts were a scattered mess, but he was wrapped into a snug cocoon and tried to burrow into the covers that surrounded him. As he nuzzled into the secure warmth, he felt the arms wrapped around him tighten. 'Arms?' he thought muzzily and then the events of the night before came crashing back and his eyes flew open as he abruptly sat up.

He was lying next to, 'Morinaga!' He looked down in dawning horror at the peacefully sleeping man next to him and he desperately wanted to punch him; he even balled his hand up to do so, but then he sighed and relaxed his fist. The younger man cuddled next to him and tightened his hold around the blonde's hips with a contented sigh as Souichi tried to wrap his mind around the events of the night before.

He wildly scrubbed his hands through his blonde hair, leaving it an even more tangled mess than before as he sorted through everything. 'We did it! Shit, now what am I going to do? He won't want to leave me after this!' Souichi didn't know what to do, he had wanted last night as much as the brunette had; he had to admit as much, if only to himself. He'd been caught up in the moment and had been selfish. He leaned back against the headboard with a silent groan as his hand idly began carding through the soft dark hair in his lap. 'I can't make him come with me and I can't stay here with him. Now what?'

He was forcibly brought from his thoughts when Tetsuhiro sighed and said, “That feels nice.” Souichi's hand fisted into his hair and he rather harshly tugged the younger man up to meet his glare. “But that doesn't!” he said as he jerked away from his very irate lover. “Souichi, What was that for!?!”

The older man huffed and scrambled out of the bed, taking a blanket with him as he began to pace; signing furiously while trying to keep the blanket wrapped around himself, “Baka! What do you think that was for!?! We did...did **that** last night!”  Morinaga grinned as he watched Souichi limp a bit.

“I know,” he answered smugly. He never saw the fist flying.

 

* * *

 

A little later the two men were at the table eating breakfast. Tetsuhiro noticed Souichi fidgeting and tilted his head to the side. “What's wrong?” he asked, noticing how adorable the blonde looked.

“N-nothing!” Souichi signed quickly, not meeting the brunette's eyes.

“Liar,” Tetsuhiro grinned when the other man glared at him.

Souichi huffed and reluctantly asked, “Does it hurt?”

“Does what hurt?” the younger man asked, confused by the question.

Souichi indicated the small bruise on the side of his host's face, “Where I punched you.”

“Oh...this?” Tetsuhiro grinned. “No, I deserved it and you didn't hit me **that** hard.”

Souichi glared, “Only because you have such a hard head!”

“And in more ways than one,” the brunette agreed. “I'll try not to sound so smug next time.”

“You think there'll **be** a next time!?!” Souichi looked at Tetsuhiro, completely flabbergasted.

“I **know** there will be,” he answered simply.

He was right, too. The rest of the time before the ball the two men hung out, practiced dancing, and more times than Souichi wanted to admit to, made love through the night. The blonde was falling further in love with his partner by the day and beginning to get desperate about why he couldn't change back. He wanted to go home, to see his family. He wanted Tetsuhiro to stay by his side too. He was terribly confused. Tetsuhiro hadn't exactly spelled out his intentions either and that only confused Souichi more. He didn't realize that the younger man was just as scared at their change in relationship as he was.

Tetsuhiro wasn't as confused as his lover, but he was terrified that if he spelled out his wants and feelings that the blonde would run away. He was satisfied enough with their current status and didn't want to rock the boat.

Before either man realized, it was the night of the ball. Tetsuhiro slowly walked downstairs almost vibrating from anticipation. As he reached the first floor, Souichi walked out of the living room and the younger man caught his breath. The blonde was dressed in a dark blue suit, his blonde hair tied back in a low ponytail. The suit was accompanied by a cream colored shirt and a soft blue-grey cravat; the jacket slightly nipped in at the waist. He was breathtaking.

When Souichi looked over at Morinaga, he gave a start. The brunette's formal wear was all black with a white silk necktie. He looked...dangerous; it was the only word that fit and the blonde felt a slight shiver run up his spine. He shook off the uncomfortable feeling and signed with forced impatience, “Well, are you ready?”

“Yes,” breathed Tetsuhiro. “You look magnificent, Souichi.”

The older man blushed and looked down at his shoes. His hands faltered as he answered, “So do you.” He then grasped his attitude in a strangle hold and glared back at the other man, “So are we going or what!?!”

Tetsuhiro had flushed slightly at the other's compliment but when Souichi began to glare he smiled and motioned towards the front door, “After you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! This chapter just did not want to be written. I wanted a full on lemon and I just couldn't make it fit, sorry about that for those of you who might like it. I know it's a bit short but I didn't want to include the ball here, that would have made it way too long.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now the final chapter of Kamaboko!
> 
> Enjoy!

 

* * *

 

Isogai hadn't been idle in the month and a half since Souichi had been gone. He'd kept tabs on his favorite teasing partner and had seen how his relationship with the younger human had been going. He had tactfully left his gazing pool whenever the two decided to get busy and had done his best to leave the men to their privacy. He was frustrated though. Neither one had declared himself although it was obvious to **him** that they were head over heels for each other.

'I guess that humans do things differently than we do,' he mused to himself as he watched Souichi and Tetsuhiro leave for the ball the younger man had talked the other into going to. “Although I can understand his hesitance to open himself up to that idiot's rejection,” he sighed.

“Who's rejection?” Kurokawa asked from the doorway.

Isogai jumped and looked over his shoulder. “Sou-kun's,” he sighed in frustration this time.

“Oh? Who is Souichi-san going to reject?” his friend asked as he swam into the room to look into the gazing pool.

“That human friend of yours,” the blonde waved his hand over the mirror-like surface so they both could watch. “If he doesn't pull his head out of his ass soon, he'll never break the spell.”

“Tetsuhiro's fallen for Souichi!?! That sucks for him,” the king shook his head sadly.

“Yes, well Sou-kun's fallen for him too.”

“Really?” Kurokawa laughed outright in surprised joy. “That's wonderful! What's the problem then?”

Isogai looked at the king and answered dryly, “Souichi is too stubborn to admit it and your friend is too afraid of rejection. At least that seems to be the case to me.”

“Sounds about right. Tetsuhiro is very insecure when it comes to relationships. Two men together isn't normal topside.”

“And your future brother-in-law is a complete idiot!” the blonde added.

Kurokawa nodded in agreement, “Is there anything we can do?”

“Pray?”

 

* * *

 

 The ball was in full swing by the time the two men arrived. Souichi noticed Morinaga's parents across the dance floor as soon as they entered. His mother seemed to be acting weird. She looked like she wanted to come over but was restraining herself. 'Hmm, I wonder why that is?' he thought to himself before his attention was taken up by his companion who began to introduce him to some of the ladies standing around the edge of the dance floor. He was grateful she was showing some decorum but didn't have too long to think about it before he got caught up in the dance.

About an hour or so later the two men were taking a break by the drinks table. Souichi hadn't expected to enjoy himself but had found that he was having fun. He enjoyed the freedom dancing gave him. It was so exhilarating, it almost felt like he was swimming again. He turned to his companion. “Thank you for bringing me,” he signed before taking a sip from his glass.

Tetsuhiro grinned, “You're very welcome. I'm glad you're having fun.” He had been watching Souichi all night and was glad to see him relax around other people. He knew how homesick the blonde was and hoped that this night would bring him closer to being able to go home. 'Even though that likely means I'll have to say goodbye to him,' he thought to himself. Before that thought could depress him too much, he continued, “Would you like to take a walk outside to cool off?”

Souichi nodded as he put his glass down, “Sounds like a good idea.”

Tetsuhiro's parents saw the two men head out to the garden and his mother grabbed her husband's hand so she could follow onto the balcony to keep an eye on them.

“What do you think you're doing?” her husband asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I want to see how they act together. If Tetsuhiro cares about him, I want to make sure he's good enough for my son!” she whispered so as not to be overheard.

Her husband smiled down at her, “This is a complete turn around, my dear.”

She blushed, “As I said before, I want to see my children happy.” She paused before continuing, “And if that man can make him happy, then...” She hurriedly turned and left to lurk on the balcony above the garden.

 

* * *

 

Back at the palace, Isogai and Kurokawa were watching the couple as well. The blonde had a feeling everything was about to come to a head. “I think Soujin-san and I need to head out.”

Kurokawa was intent on the scene playing out before him and marveling at how right the two looked together. “Why's that?” he asked in surprise.

“It looks like your friend is finally working up the nerve to declare himself and when he does, Sou-kun's going to need us nearby!”

Kurokawa looked up, startled, “That'll break the spell?”

“Given his rather obvious feelings for your friend, yes it will,” Isogai grinned and winked before he darted out of the room, leaving the bemused king to continue watching as events unfolded.

 

* * *

 

The two men found themselves entering a small courtyard just inside the garden and under one of the many balconies. They were completely out of sight from the rest of the guests and that suited Tetsuhiro just fine. He wanted some time alone with his lover.

Souichi was gazing up at the moon, deep in thought. “It's a beautiful night,” he signed as he turned to his companion.

Tetsuhiro smiled, “Yes it is, but I have to say that the moonlight shining down on you is even more beautiful.” He walked up to the slightly shorter man. “It makes your hair look like spun gold.” Neither man noticed the slight snort that was quickly turned into a soft cough.

Souichi rolled his eyes and looked annoyed. “You've lost your mind!” he signed before he tried to turn away.

The brunette lightly laughed as he loosely grabbed Souichi's hand, “Maybe. Come Souichi, dance with me.” They both heard the soft strains of a waltz and after making certain no one was around, Souichi willingly enough allowed himself to be caught up in the dance.

Tetsuhiro gazed at the man he had fallen for and simply enjoyed holding him as they moved to the rhythm. When Souichi met his eyes he asked, “What?”

The younger man looked startled before he smiled again. “It's nothing. Do you think you're any closer to breaking the spell?”

Souichi disentangled himself and put a little distance between them as he shook his head. “No. I don't know,” he continued quickly. “I feel better about humans now and I can honestly say that I consider you a friend.” He blushed when he saw how pleased Morinaga was. “Don't get carried away, baka!”

“I won't,” Tetsuhiro said with a small chuckle as he walked up beside the blonde. “I'm happy you feel that way, though. I also think of you as a friend.” He sighed as he turned serious, “I know you miss your home and I know you want to return. As your friend, I want that for you too.”

Suddenly Souichi looked a little depressed, “You want me to leave?”

Tetsuhiro's eyes flashed, “No!” He turned the other man to face him. “But I also don't want you to stay where you'll end up unhappy. To never see your family again just so you could stay by my side, what kind of man would I be if I was that selfish?”

Souichi smiled as he saw the earnestness in the other's eyes and his hands flew to answer, “The kind of man I could never love.”

Tetsuhiro held his breath, “Are you saying...?” Souichi's eyes widened when he realized just what he'd said and he tried to leave but Tetsuhiro wasn't having that and he caught the blonde and turned him around so he would see his reaction. Souichi stood frozen in shock and stared wide eyed as Tetsuhiro lowered his head to his ear and whispered “I love you, too.”

 

* * *

 

At that moment several things happened at once. The music ended to loud clapping as voices began to rise. A loud bang and a bright light flashed from the garden courtyard, garnering the guests attention. Tetsuhiro's mother let out a soft scream as his stepfather stared on in absolute shock. Kurokawa hurried after Isogai to make sure he'd left to help Souichi.

However the only thing that registered with Tetsuhiro is that he suddenly had his arms full of Souichi and the blonde had...a tail. “The spell! It's broken!!” he shouted, thrilled for his lover.

Souichi however wasn't too happy with where he'd changed back. “Yes, baka! But I'm too far from the ocean!” he shouted in order to be heard by his lover. The brunette stopped and looked down at Souichi as he adjusted his hold on him.

“Your voice!” He shook himself free of his surprise. He needed to focus, damn it! “We need to get you to the workroom. Preferably without anyone seeing you!”

Souichi was looking over his shoulder back at the building, “Too late for that!” He had a bad feeling about this. If he didn't get to water soon, he'd begin to smother and he **really** didn't want to go out **that** way.

Tetsuhiro glanced over his shoulder, “Shit! Hold on tight, love.” He dashed across the garden to a gate that he knew led outside before the curious party guests could gather their wits over what they'd just seen.

As he kicked it open and they skidded through the gate and around the corner, they saw a carriage barreling towards them. “What the -” was all Tetsuhiro could say before the door was flung open and he saw who was inside. “Mother!?!”

“Not now, come on!” she snapped and practically dragged the men inside. “Where?” she snapped at her son.

“My workroom at the docks,” he quickly answered as he tried to make Souichi more comfortable. He wasn't looking well and didn't seem able to speak. “Hurry!”

“Don't worry, we'll make it,” she answered and pounded on the roof of the carriage. “Get a move on, we don't have much time!” she screamed at the coachman. The coach gathered speed as Tetsuhiro quickly wormed his way out of his jacket and draped it around Souichi's shoulders. He tried to keep the carriage from jostling his lover too much.

“Mother, he's turning blue!” he gasped just as the carriage jolted to a halt at the docks. He kicked open the door with his lover in his arms, barely hearing his mother instruct the driver to keep going as fast as possible in order to draw the curious guests who were following them away. He had no time to wonder about anything as he ran to the pool and jumped in, desperate to get the blonde into the water.

As they hit the water, Tetsuhiro dove under, carrying Souichi with him. He refused to leave his side as Souichi gulped in water as he began to revive. He saw Morinaga beside him and gestured upward so the human knew he was alright now and could surface. They broke the water at the same time with Souichi shouting, “Baka! Are you trying to drown yourself!?!”

“Of course not,” Tetsuhiro snapped out. “I was trying to save your life!”

Souichi looked frustrated and smacked the younger man upside his head. “It wouldn't have been worth it, if you'd died!”

“I wasn't about to drown, I took a deep breath before I dove,” Tetsuhiro said more calmly. “Never mind that...are you alright?” he asked worriedly.

“I'm fine now,” Souichi snapped and then added quietly, “thank you.”

“Anytime,” the brunette grinned in relief.

“Alright, you two! Enough with the flirting, I want an explanation!” The two turned with a flinch at the sound of Tetsuhiro's mother's voice.

“We weren't flirting,” the brunette muttered.

“That's what it seemed like to me, Morinaga-san.” Tetsuhiro turned to look behind him and saw two blonde Ningyo that he'd never met before.

“Isogai, Dad! When did you show up?” Souichi frowned at the interruption.

“Just now, Son,” Soujin said with a smile.

'Wow, he looks just like an older version of Souichi!' Tetsuhiro thought as he gazed at the older man.

“Gods, I told you guys to wait up!” Kurokawa gasped as he surfaced beside Souichi.

“Kurokawa, good to see you again!” Tetsuhiro called happily over to his friend. “Did everything go alright once you got home?”

“Yep! Even set the date for the wedding,” the king replied with a grin and a slight blush across his nose.

Tetsuhiro's mother was starting to get impatient. “Will someone **please** tell me what's going on!” she finally demanded at the top of her voice.

“You know, I'm still a little in the dark myself,” Soujin mused. “Maybe a recap is in order?” The rest of the men agreed and got comfortable along the bench that was built around the pool. Tetsuhiro wasn't about to get too far away from his lover, so he stayed in the water next to Souichi.

“Well, it all started when the sea-witch got pissed off at Mitsugu for denying her the hunting rights she asked for,” Isogai began. As the story unfolded, with each man telling a part of the tale, Tetsuhiro's parents eyes got wider and their mouths dropped open in shock. After the men fell silent, Tetsuhiro's mother opened and shut her mouth a few times until she got her voice back.

“So all of you live at the bottom of the sea?” All the Ningyo nodded as one. “And you're their king?” she asked Kurokawa who nodded. “And you're in love with **his** ,” here she pointed at Souichi, “brother?” Again the two men nodded. She sat back, speechless again. “What happens now?” she finally asked.

“Well, that's up to Sou-kun,” Soujin answered quietly. “Son, now you have to make some choices.” Both Souichi and Tetsuhiro looked at the older man and then at each other.

“You want to go home,” Tetsuhiro said softly with a smile, although his heart was twisting in his chest.

“I do,” the blonde nodded.

“Then I'll come with you,” the younger man said with determination. He turned to Isogai, “Is that possible?”

Soujin answered for him as his son stared at his lover in shock, “It is. My wife was human before we married.”

“But that means that you'll never see your family again!” Souichi exclaimed with a frown. “I could never ask that of you!”

“You don't have to! I know what I'm doing and whose side I want to be by!” Tetsuhiro yelled back.

Before the two could get into an all out argument, Kurokawa spoke up. “Why do you have to choose one over the other? The spell Soujin-san was speaking of can be removed. If you two wanted, you could spend time in **both** worlds.”

“You mean we can come back for visits?” the brunette human asked eagerly.

“Yes,” was the smiling reply. “Then it is possible for us to be together!” Tetsuhiro almost shouted. He looked at his lover with a very serious expression, “That is, if you really want me to be by your side?”

Souichi went from frustrated to quietly serious as he thought over his reply, “I honestly can't see you anywhere else. But I want you to be happy, baka!”

“I **am** happy...with you,” Tetsuhiro said softly.

Tetsuhiro's mother stood up and clapped her hands together and turned to Isogai, “Well, now that **that's** decided let's get this show on the road!”

Tetsuhiro turned to his mother in shock, “Mom?”

She smiled at him, “I love you Tetsu and I want you to be happy. It's obvious you would be miserable without him, so...” she trailed off and turned to glare at her future son-in-law, “If you ever do anything to hurt him or keep him from visiting, I will hunt you down, ocean or not!”

The blonde gulped and nodded, “Don't worry.” He thought to himself, 'Shit, she's scary!'

“Mother! Knock it off, I am a grown man you know! I can take car of myself,” the younger man snapped and glared at his now smugly smiling mother.

“Don't worry about it dear! It never hurts to instill a little fear into the in-laws,” she said briskly before turning to Isogai once more. “Now what happens?”

The blonde smiled a little nervously, he was never good with older women. He held up a little bottle of silver liquid and replied, “Morinaga-san just has to drink this and he'll change.”

“That's all?” Tetsuhiro asked as he took the vial.

“That's it,” was Isogai's reply. He looked at the liquid carefully before he twisted the lid off the little bottle and sniffed the contents. It didn't have much of a smell so he just shrugged and downed it all in one go. Then the taste hit him and he shuddered.

At first nothing happened but then a smoke seemed to rise from the water to completely envelop the brunette in a deep white mist and when it finally cleared, Tetsuhiro had both gills and a beautiful silver-aqua tail. “Whoa!” he gasped as he began to sink. It took a few minutes but he eventually got used to the loss of his legs and was joyfully swimming around as if he'd been born in the sea.

“Merde,” his mother muttered before she could stop herself. “I mean, wow,” she quickly corrected herself, much to her husband's amusement.

“This is great!” Tetsuhiro crowed with joy. He felt so free, it was amazing. The way he swam around reminded both of his parents of a puppy dog but neither would say so aloud.

“Yeah, yeah,” Souichi rolled his eyes at the big idiot. “Hurry up and get used to your tail. The trip back will take awhile.” Tetsuhiro splashed his lover playfully and dove down to get away from the irate blonde who decided to pursue him. When both of the men surfaced, Tetsuhiro's mother motioned them over to where she was standing.

“Take care of each other,” she said with a small smile. “And be happy.” With that she kissed them both much to Souichi's stunned surprise and quickly left the building with her broadly smiling husband trailing after her. “And don't forget to visit!” they heard her yell from outside.

“Well boys,” Soujin said with a smile at the others, “it's time to head back to the palace. Tetsuhiro-san, welcome to the family. I hope you'll be happy there.”

The brunette nodded, “I know I will.”

A thought occurred to the younger man as they all began to return to the underwater kingdom he was about to become a part of. As the others began to pull ahead of them, he pulled Souichi back to ask, “Um, I was wondering...how do Ningyo make love?”

A devious smile broke out across his lover's face as Souichi answered, “Well, that you'll just have to figure out for yourself!” As he swam away from a dumbfounded Tetsuhiro with a mischievous cackle, the younger man hurriedly swam after him.

“Souichiiii!!!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it for this one! I hope everyone enjoyed it. This will probably be the only fairy tail remake I'll ever do. It was so difficult!!! But I'm still glad I tried my hand at it. ^^ I want to take this time to thank everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed. That makes this all worthwhile!


End file.
